1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to flooring and more specifically to repairs for damaged vinyl floors.
2. Related Art
Vinyl as a flooring material has become very popular. Many millions of square feet of vinyl flooring are installed every year. Often, after or during installation, the vinyl flooring is damaged by dents, holes, scrapes or scratches. Then, the vinyl flooring needs to be repaired.
Typically, the repair of this damage to vinyl flooring is done by:
Cutting an oversized replacement patch that matches the pattern in the damaged area;
Aligning the patch and taping it in place;
Cutting through both layers with a utility knife;
Removing the patch and peeling up the damaged flooring with a scraper, taking care not to damage the cut edges, and using a heat gun or iron to soften the adhesive, if necessary;
Applying new flooring adhesive to the patch and pressing it in place; and
Wiping off any excess adhesive with a damp cloth and covering the patch with a weight for 24 hours.
Preferably, the cut is made along the flooring pattern lines, if any, to make the repair less visible. If it is discovered that the section to be removed isn""t attached to the subfloor by adhesive, an attempt to slip some new adhesive underneath the exposed edges of the original vinyl to keep it in place is recommended.
However, whenever this prior art repair technique is practiced, the seam between the original vinyl and the replaced, repair piece is noticeable. The seam may be barely noticeable, but it is there nonetheless, and irritating to discriminating homeowners and floor repairmen. The reason for the seam is because typically the cut replacement piece turns out to be slightly smaller than the original damaged piece. We think this is because the top piece of vinyl is stretched slightly when it is cut with the knife while overlaying the relatively soft damaged piece. The damaged piece, on the other hand, is constrained by the supporting floor, and bound by an underlying adhesive, so it does not stretch, or stretches less, when cut. This way, after the cut is performed, the replacement piece is slightly smaller than the original damaged piece, leaving a slight seam between the original, undamaged vinyl and the inserted replacement piece. Typically, the industry craftsmen have filled this seam with seam sealer or filler. However, it has been a desire in the industry to eliminate this seam space as much as possible. Therefore, this invention is addressed to satisfy this desire for a closer fit between the inserted replacement vinyl piece and the surrounding, original undamaged vinyl.
The present invention is a floor vinyl repair technique and tool. According to the present invention, the prior art repair technique is practiced, except a special domed-disc spacer is placed between the patch and the damaged piece to be removed before the cut through both layers with the knife. This way, the replacement patch is elevated slightly above the damaged piece to be removed. This slight elevation allows for a slight increase in the perimeter of the patch, and offsets the slight stretching of the patch during the cut, thereby resulting in a more exact fit between the patch and the surrounding, original undamaged vinyl when the patch is installed.
By trial and error and experience, we have determined an estimated relationship between the size of the spacer to be inserted between the two layers of vinyl before the cut, and the size of the replacement patch.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the prior art vinyl flooring repair technique.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the vinyl flooring repair technique according to the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a side view of various embodiments of the repair tool insert according to the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a side-cross-sectional view along line 4xe2x80x944 in FIG. 2.